The Best of 1926
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- DirectorF.W. MurnauStarsGösta EkmanEmil JanningsCamilla HornThe demon Mephisto wagers with God that he can corrupt a mortal man's soul.
- DirectorLotte ReinigerCarl KochA handsome prince rides a flying horse to faraway lands and embarks on magical adventures, which include befriending a witch, meeting Aladdin, battling demons and falling in love with a princess.
- DirectorVsevolod PudovkinStarsVera BaranovskayaNikolay BatalovAleksandr ChistyakovA story about a family torn apart by a worker's strike. At first, the mother wants to protect her family from the troublemakers, but eventually she realizes that her son is right and the workers should strike.
- DirectorLev KuleshovStarsAleksandra KhokhlovaSergey KomarovVladimir FogelA five-person team of gold prospectors in the Yukon has just begun to enjoy great success when one of the members snaps, and suddenly kills two of the others. The two survivors, a husband and wife, subdue the killer but are then faced with an agonizing dilemma. With no chance of turning him over to the authorities for many weeks, they must decide whether to exact justice themselves or to risk trying to keep him restrained until they can return to civilization.
- DirectorVictor SjöströmStarsLillian GishLars HansonHenry B. WalthallAfter having a child out of wedlock, a young Puritan woman is pressured to reveal the name of her lover.
- DirectorBuster KeatonStarsBuster KeatonSnitz EdwardsSally O'NeilA love-struck weakling must pretend to be boxer in order to gain respect from the family of the girl he loves.
- DirectorClarence BrownStarsJohn GilbertGreta GarboLars HansonChildhood friends are torn apart when one of them marries the woman the other fiercely loves.
- DirectorJohn FordStarsGeorge O'BrienOlive BordenLou TellegenThree outlaws come to the aid of a young girl after her father is killed.
- DirectorTeinosuke KinugasaStarsMasuo InoueAyako IijimaYoshie NakagawaA man takes a job at an asylum with hopes of freeing his imprisoned wife.
- DirectorWilliam BeaudineTom McNamaraStarsMary PickfordRoy StewartMary Louise MillerMolly, the eldest child at a baby farm hidden deep in a swamp, must rescue the others when their cruel master decides that one of them will be disposed of.
- DirectorSam TaylorStarsHarold LloydJobyna RalstonNoah YoungAn irresponsible young millionaire changes his tune when he falls for the daughter of a downtown minister.
- DirectorAlbert ParkerStarsDouglas FairbanksBillie DoveTempe PigottSeeking revenge, an athletic young man joins the pirate band responsible for his father's death.
- DirectorDimitri KirsanoffStarsNadia SibirskaïaYolande BeaulieuGuy BelmontA couple is brutally murdered in the working-class district of Paris. Later on, the narrative follows the lives of their two daughters, both in love with a Parisian thug and leading them to separate ways.
- DirectorKing VidorStarsLillian GishJohn GilbertRenée AdoréeA group of starving artists try to survive in 1830s Paris, including a seamstress and the would-be playwright she loves.
- DirectorErnst LubitschStarsMonte BluePatsy Ruth MillerLilyan TashmanGeorgette lives in Paris with her unexciting, effeminate husband, an actor and interpretive dancer. Meanwhile, Suzanne lives across the street and reads romance novels while dreaming of someone more exciting than her own lackluster spouse Maurice. Each woman happens across the other's husband and begins her dream affair. Four people, each cheating on their spouse, and none of them is aware that their own spouse is cheating. Who will find out first, and how?
- DirectorFred NibloMauritz StillerStarsGreta GarboAntonio MorenoMarc McDermottAn architect tries suppressing his passion for a seductive woman.
- DirectorFrances H. FlahertyRobert J. FlahertyStarsTa'avaleFa'amgaseT'ugaitaFilmmaker Robert J. Flaherty presents a docufictional account of a family living in a Samoan village in the early 1920s.
- DirectorHenry KingStarsRonald ColmanVilma BánkyGary CooperWhile building an irrigation system for a Southwestern desert community, an engineer vies with a local cowboy for the affections of a rancher's daughter.
- DirectorRex IngramStarsApollon UniÁlex NovaKada-Abd-el-KaderThe story of a female German spy who willingly sacrifices her life for her country.
- DirectorTod BrowningStarsLon ChaneyOwen MooreRenée AdoréeTwo thieves, the Blackbird and West End Bertie, fall in love with the same girl, a French nightclub performer named Fifi. Each man tries to outdo the other to win her heart.
- DirectorGeorge W. HillStarsLon ChaneyWilliam HainesEleanor BoardmanA gruff Marine sergeant and a handsome new recruit compete for the affection of a nurse.
- DirectorMonta BellStarsRicardo CortezGreta GarboGertrude OlmsteadA young girl and her father are kicked out of their house by a cruel noblewoman, and the girl's heart is broken when her sweetheart, the noblewoman's son, won't go to Paris with them. After becoming an opera star in Paris, the girl returns to her homeland and finds her romance with the nobleman rekindled.
- DirectorJacques FeyderStarsJean ForestRolla NormanFrançoise RosayA sincere working-class 13-year old in France is adopted by a well-meaning philanthropic millionairess from America -- who promises his doting mother that the boy will have the finest education -- but things are not so simple.
- DirectorWilliam A. SeiterStarsReginald DennyLaura La PlanteBen Hendricks Jr.Honey Skinner is proud of her successful husband. When he tells her he's asking for a raise, she knows he'll get it. He asks his boss just as their big client announces he's not renewing his contract. He doesn't get the raise, but he's too embarrassed to tell his wife the truth. She starts planning how to spend that extra $10 a week; the first thing is a new dress suit for him and a new outfit for her so they can fit in at a swanky party. They're the hit of the party, and Honey is embraced by the 'smart set.' Meanwhile, business is bad and Skinner loses his job. The tailor is after him for payment on the suit, and Honey is still spending the salary he doesn't have.
- DirectorE. Mason HopperStarsMarie PrevostHarrison FordPhyllis HaverMabel catches her husband buying lingerie, and he won't explain who it's for. She divorces him, but later learns he was buying her an anniversary gift. She becomes determined to win him back.
- DirectorAlan CroslandStarsJane WintonJohn RocheWarner OlandIn 16th-century Italy, devil-may-care playboy Don Juan runs afoul of the despotic Borgias.
- DirectorHerbert BrenonStarsRonald ColmanNeil HamiltonRalph ForbesMichael "Beau" Geste leaves England in disgrace and joins the infamous French Foreign Legion. He is reunited with his two brothers in North Africa, where they face greater danger from their own sadistic commander than from the rebellious Arabs.
- DirectorKing VidorStarsJohn GilbertEleanor BoardmanRoy D'ArcyIn the reign of King Louis XIII, dashing rogue and libertine Marquis de Bardelys is entranced by Roxalanne de Lavedan. Against a background of knavery and intrigue he sets out to woo and win her.
- DirectorRené ClairStarsDolly DavisJean BörlinAlbert PréjeanIn a daydream, a shy bank clerk is led by a fairy into a subterranean world where people transform into animals and waxworks come to life. Lucie, his office crush, follows him but a bad fairy is intent on keeping them apart.
- DirectorClyde BruckmanBuster KeatonStarsBuster KeatonMarion MackGlen CavenderAfter being rejected by the Confederate military, not realizing it was due to his crucial civilian role, an engineer must single-handedly recapture his beloved locomotive after it is seized by Union spies and return it through enemy lines.
- DirectorWilliam BeaudineStarsThomas MeighanMona PalmaWyndham StandingA couple undergo hardship homesteading in Alberta, where they are plagued by bad weather and financial woes.
- DirectorAlfred E. GreenStarsColleen MooreLloyd HughesVera LewisElla Cinders, oppressed and abused by her stepmother and stepsisters, wins a contest for a film role in Hollywood. When the contest turns out to be fraudulent, she determines to stay and achieve Hollywood stardom the hard way.
- DirectorRaoul WalshStarsVictor McLaglenEdmund LoweDolores Del RíoU.S. Marine sergeants Quirt and Flagg are inveterate romantic rivals on peacetime assignments in China and the Philippines. In 1917, W.W. I brings them to France, where Flagg, now a captain, takes up with flirtatious Charmaine, inn-keeper's daughter. Of course, Quirt has to arrive and spoil his fun. But the harsh realities of war and the threat of a shotgun marriage give the two men a common cause...
- DirectorFrank CapraStarsHarry LangdonPriscilla BonnerGertrude AstorA meek Belgian soldier, fighting in World War I, receives a letter and a photo from "Mary Brown", an American girl he has never met. After the war, he travels to America searching for her.
- DirectorHenrik GaleenStarsConrad VeidtElizza La PortaFritz AlbertiFor Balduin, going out to beer parties with his fellow students and fighting out disputes at the tip of the sword have lost their charms. He wants to find love; but how would he, a penniless student, ever dare looking up to any woman worth of loving? Absorbed in his dreary thoughts and indifferent to the advances of Lyduschka, Balduin is unexpectedly offered a fortune by the mysterious money-lender Scapinelli - but on a strange condition...
- DirectorJames CruzeStarsCharles FarrellEsther RalstonWallace BeeryAn American fighting ship battles Barbary pirates in the Mediterranean in the 18th century.
- DirectorBenjamin ChristensenStarsNorma ShearerCharles Emmett MackCarmel MyersMary (Shearer) and Carlstop (Mack) are lovers. The former is a trapeze artist, while the latter is a pickpocket. Mary gets entangled in a nearly fatal situation with Lieberkind (Miljan), a lion-tamer, and his jealous wife Yonna (Myers), who victimizes Mary.
- DirectorMonta BellStarsNorma ShearerOscar ShawTenen HoltzA small-town girl with big ambitions hooks up with a vaudevillian, whose talent makes the act a success. Dolly thinks she is the reason until a handsome leading man discovers her looks exceed her talent and is soon out of work.
- DirectorCarl Theodor DreyerStarsEinar SissenerTove TellbackStub WibergTore takes over the rundown family farm. Applying his youthful energy, he intends to make it into a big farm like Glomgården on the other side of the river, where beautiful Berit lives. Tore falls in love with her, but her father has promised her to rich Gjermund. As her wedding to Gjermund draws near, Berit runs away and seeks refuge with Tore and his parents. She soon falls deathly ill but recovers, asking for, and getting, her father's permission to marry Tore. Jealous Gjermund is determined to prevent their wedding, however, in a dramatic climactic scene playing out around the rushing river.
- DirectorGeorg Wilhelm PabstStarsWerner KraussRuth WeyherIlka GrüningA scientist is tormented by an irrational fear of knives and the irresistible compulsion to murder his wife.
- DirectorSam TaylorStarsBeatrice LillieJack PickfordDoris LloydA maid who works for a traveling theatrical troupe wants desperately to be an actress, and manages to get some small roles in the company's productions, but is determined to do anything she can to show that she deserves a shot at the big time.
- DirectorClarence BrownStarsNorma TalmadgeRonald ColmanGertrude AstorKiki, a poor young woman who sells newspapers on the street corners of Paris, is able to land a job singing and dancing at a nearby theater. While she is there, she invites herself into the life of the revue's manager, with whom she has fallen in love.
- DirectorYakov ProtazanovStarsOlga ZhiznevaNikolai ProzorovskyVladimir FogelWho is a thief - a street pickpocket, a social lion or a banker? The thief is the one who takes it small, the man with prospects is called a winner.
- DirectorLouis J. GasnierStarsMarceline DayBert LytellEileen PercyThe original Plain Jane story that inspired many copycats. Shy secretary Jane removes her glasses and hat, transforming into a natural beauty. Unsavory characters push her into impersonating a French model. Confusion and romance ensue.
- DirectorKenneth S. WebbStarsRichard BarthelmessLois MoranGeoffrey KerrPrince Rupert of Koronia comes to the United States and, bored with pomp and circumstance, falls in love with Linda Lee Stafford. Called home when the crown prince dies unexpectedly, Rupert finds himself first in line for the throne, and a royal marriage is arranged for him. Before the wedding ceremony takes place, however, the widow of the late crown prince gives birth to twins, who become the heirs presumptive to the throne, a situation freeing Rupert to marry as he wishes. Linda Lee comes to Europe for a visit, and she and Rupert are married.
- DirectorJohn FordStarsJanet GaynorLeslie FentonJ. Farrell MacDonaldThe story of Sir Miles O'Hara and his daughter, who rent out living quarters to a poor family, the O'Sheas, who cannot pay rent on time.
- DirectorPaul SloaneStarsLeatrice JoyWilliam BoydRobert EdesonEve, the boyish daughter of a freighter captain stationed in a Chinese port, is addicted to dime novels and romantic daydreams. Going ashore with her father, she meets Bob Britton, the son of a wealthy tea-planter, who teases her, thinking she is a boy. When Chang Fang, a Chinese pirate, stages a raid on the town, Eve uses the situation to shanghai Bob aboard her father's vessel, which is then taken by the pirates. Bob is taken to Chang's stronghold with Eve, who conceals herself in a large rug; when she reveals herself, Chang orders the room cleared, but she binds him hand and foot, as she did earlier to Bob. Eve and Bob escape, pursued by the pirate band. Chang is popped into a jar and ejected from a window by a missionary, who then reads psalms to Chang while Eve ropes him; drawn up to the window, Bob and Eve compel the missionary to marry them.
- DirectorJames YoungStarsLionel BarrymoreCaroline Frances CookeGustav von SeyffertitzAn innkeeper murders a wealthy guest to pay off his debt, but his conscience will not allow him to get away with the crime so easily.
- DirectorJames W. HorneStarsRod La RocqueMildred HarrisSnitz EdwardsJerry Cleggett, the descendant of a seafaring buccaneer, is seeking a wife he must marry before noon on his 21st birthday or lose his inheritance.
- DirectorMalcolm St. ClairStarsAdolphe MenjouFlorence VidorLawrence GrantYoung millionaire Albert Durant poses as a waiter in order to woo an exiled Grand Duchess, who does not object since she knows who he is and he doesn't know she knows. And his money will save her from having to be the proprietress of a low-rent tea shop.
- DirectorA.W. SandbergStarsGösta EkmanMaurice de FéraudyKate FabianThe clown Joe Higgins and the circus princess Daisy have grown up together and seem perfect for each other.
- DirectorWilliam A. O'ConnorStarsMickey McBanBynunsky HymanThe Man in the Moon invites little Mickey and his dog over for a visit. They go on a magical trip and meet strange characters along the way.
- DirectorRoscoe 'Fatty' ArbuckleStarsLupino LaneGeorge DavisVirginia VanceA young man faces perilous adventures when he is evicted from his apartment.
- DirectorMan RayStarsKiki of MontparnasseJacques RigautA long series of unrelated images, revolving, often distorted: lights, flowers, nails. A lightboard appears from time to time carrying the news of the day. Then, an eye. A woman in a car drives along country roads. Farm animals. She descends from the car, again and again. Images: dancing legs, seashore, swimming fish, geometric shapes, cut glass. A man removes his starched collar. It rotates. A girl has garishly painted eyes. No, she's only fooling. Those were her eyelids.
- DirectorCharles R. BowersHarold L. MullerStarsCharles R. BowersThe Liars Club is holding their contest to see who can tell the most unbelievable story, with a gold medallion waiting to be awarded to the winner. Disappointed with the other members' bland efforts, one member brings in Charley Bowers, who has an extraordinary tale to tell. Charley claims to have invented a magic potion that enables him to grow absolutely anything by a simple grafting process, and he proceeds to tell his story to the club.
- DirectorCharles R. BowersHarold L. MullerStarsCharles R. BowersCharley becomes manager of a restaurant owned by his girlfriend's father, and attempts to update it with a number of unusual devices.
- DirectorLeo McCareyStarsCharley ChaseVivien OaklandAnn HoweAfter a homely married couple separately undergo plastic surgery, they unwittingly plan an extramarital affair with each other.
- DirectorLeo McCareyStarsCharley ChaseOliver HardyMartha SleeperA princess must find a husband in 24 hours or forfeit her throne. She quickly marries a condemned man--but the man is pardoned.
- DirectorLeo McCareyStarsCharley ChaseStuart HolmesMildred JuneCharley is afraid of dogs, and one chases him into a phone box, which a stuffy aristocrat has just left to get more change, to continue the phone call with his fiancée, who is being forced by her parents to marry him. Charley agrees to help the girl, and is mistakenly hired as a butler at the same house. That evening, there's a big party at the house, and he has to find out which of the 20 girls there is the right one. The moment, he finds her, he gets the order to bathe the Duke, her dog, but he thinks she's talking about the future son-in-law... Meanwhile, the father, fed up with the aggressive dog, gives another domestic the order to get rid of the dog at midnight, when he hears him howling like a dog, the dog will be thrown by him out of the window. The aristocratic fiancée is in reality a crook, and is going to throw the safe out of the window, his partner in crime shall be prepared, when he hears him howling like a dog at midnight. Charley tells the girl that he will be ready for her eloping at midnight and the signal is him howling like a dog...
- DirectorLeo McCareyStarsCharley ChaseMildred HarrisVivien OaklandA man finds out that his wife wishes he would act more like his twin brother, so he decides to impersonate his twin in an attempt to determine his wife's fidelity.
- DirectorLeo McCareyStarsCharley ChaseOliver HardyWilliam V. MongTwo rich families arrange a marriage between their children. The kids rebel, each running away, and run into each other at the train station. Not knowing the other's identity, they fall for each other and work to sabotage the plan.
- DirectorGrigoriy KozintsevLeonid TraubergStarsPyotr SobolevskySergey GerasimovLyudmila SemyonovaA sailor meets a girl on a roller coaster at a funfair. They are both very late, but still decide to ride one final attraction called "The Devil's Wheel". Spin of the wheel changes their life entirely.
- DirectorAlberto CavalcantiStarsBlanche BernisNina ChousvalowaPhilippe HériatThe life of a great city (Paris) from dawn until dusk, including the beautiful and the ragged, the rich and the poor, with little or no comment (intertitles) from the director, Cavalcanti (whose first film this was).